Castered transportable container



Jan. 18, 1-966 M. TESSLER ETAL 3,229,991

CASTERED TRANSPORTABLE CONTAINER Filed D80. 13, 1963 INVENTORS MORTY TESS LEE SAMUEL G958 GZKQ'. W

ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice 3,229,991 CASTERED TRANSPORTABLE CONTAINER Morty Tessler and Samuel Gass, both of 44 Brinkerhofi Ave., Freehold, NJ. Filed Dec. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 330,424 4 Claims. (Cl. 28047.26)

This invention deals with a transportable container, such as a garbage can, equipped, in a novel manner, with casters and a skid, and designed to be pulled with ease, either in winter or summer. More specifically, it relates to a container having recesses in its bottom adjacent an offset edge of the bottom, said recesses having engaging means for engaging and holding casters therein, and a skid attachable to said casters.

Containers, such as refuse cans, and the like, have been described in the art as being made transportable by attachment to the bottoms thereof of wheels. However, such wheels are generally connected to an axle and to a supporting structure on the container, which assembly makes for an expensive and cumbersome unit. Also, when snow is on the ground in winter, such wheeled containers are very diflicult to pull through the snow.

According to the present invention, a transportable container is provided which is readily adapted for use with casters requiring no axle or support, and which is readily and easily pulled over the ground or snow. The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which a preferred embodiment is described, and in which FIGURE 1 presents a perspective side View of a container of the present invention, as seen from the bottom, while FIGURE 2 illustrates a side elevational view thereof disposed at right angles to that shown in FIGURE 1. FIGURE 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the bottom of the container at the caster recess mounting, While FIGURE 4 depicts a similar view showing a caster mounted in said mounting recess. FIGURE 5 presents a similar view with a skid mounted in said recess, while FIGURE 6 presents a top view of the handle portion of the container. Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the various figures.

Referring again to the drawing, numeral 5 indicates generally the container, such as a galvanized iron garbage can, having a rimmed open top 6, corrugated side wall 7, and bottom 8. A handle 9 is attached in side 7 near top 6 of the container. Bottom 8 has partial rim 10, and the bottom and lower portion of the side are provided with an offset portion or bevel 11, disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to bottom 8. Forming of the bevel results in formation of a straight edge 12 in bottom 8, and casters 13 and 14 are mounted on the bottom as close as possible to this straight edge.

Casters 13 and 14 are mounted within a recess provided in said bottom 8 for each caster. A preferred form of mounting is shown in FIGS. 3-4, and consists of a conical recess 15 provided with an inward indentation or ridge 16 which serves to engage and hold the spring 17 of caster 13. Spring 17 may be triangular in shape to fit conical recess 15, and it is also provided with indentations 18 disposed in juxtaposition with the indentation 16 of the recess to enable the spring to snap into said recess and be held therein by means of the aforesaid indentations. Caster 13 has shaft 19 having an enlarged tip 20, the latter serving to keep the shaft from slipping out of upper hole 21 in spring 17. The shaft 19 also projects 3,229,991 Patented Jan. 18, 1966 through holes 22-23 of the ends of spring 17, and is attached to the top of saddle 24 which straddles wheel 25, and which holds the wheel by means of axle 26. Two such casters are used on each container.

For use in pulling the container over snow, there is provided an arcuate skid 27 which is attached to anchor 28. Anchor 28 is aflixed at its top to shaft 19, as in FIG. 5. Skid 27 is mounted in the same manner as casters 13. The two casters (which may be about 14" apart on a container of about 18" diameter) are removed, and skid 27 having two snap-in springs 17 is then mounted in lieu of the casters. The container then may be pulled readily over snow in the winter.

Handle 9, which is desirably attached to container wall 7 as close to top 6 as possible, is desirably provided with a series of holding loops 29, 30, and 31, as in FIG. 6, these being selectively gripped, depending upon the height of the person pulling the container. For example, a shorter person would use loop 29, while a taller one would more comfortably employ loop 31, which would eliminate the necessity of excessive stooping. The container then would be pulled in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 2. For the purpose of this invention, the casters and skid are referred to as gliding means for said container.

We claim:

1. A transportable container having sides and a flat bottom, comprising,

an inclined offset portion encompassing a part of the bottom edge and a lower portion of a side, whereby a straight bottom edge is formed,

a pair of spaced conical recesses, wider at their bottoms, and disposed in said bottom adjacent to said straight bottom edge,

inwardly-indented engaging and holding means disposed within said recesses and designed to engage and hold gliding means therein, and

gliding means for said container carrying triangularshaped spring engaging and holding means fitting into said recesses and coacting with said corresponding indented means in said recesses.

2. A transportable container according to claim 1 in which said gliding means comprises a pair of casters.

3. A transportable container according to claim 1 in which said gliding means comprises a skid.

4. A transportable container according to claim 1 in which said container is provided with a handle near the top thereof and on the side opposite said recesses, said handle having a series of hand-engaging loops.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 362,868 5/1887 Roberts 280-4726 X 1,014,475 1/ 1912 Holloway 280-47 .26 1,099,515 6/ 1914 Plunkett 16--29 X 1,915,173 6/1933 Vieregge 28079.2 2,023,867 12/ 1935 Bieth. 2,920,902 1/ 1960 Scott 28079.2 3,128,495 4/1964 Tooth 1643 FOREIGN PATENTS 237,701 8/ 1925 Great Britain.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

A. HARRY LEVY, Examiner. 

1. A TRANSPORTABLE CONTAINER HAVING SIDES AND A FLAT BOTTOM COMPRISING, AN INCLINED OFFSET PORTION ENCOMPASSING A PART OF THE BOTTOM EDGE AND A LOWER PORTION OF A SIDE, WHEREBY A STRAIGHT BOTTOM EDGE IS FORMED, A PAIR OF SPACED CONICAL RECESSES, WIDER AT THEIR BOTTOMS, AND DISPOSED IN SAID BOTTOM ADJACENT TO SAID STRAIGHT BOTTOM EDGE, INWARDLY-INDENTED ENGAGING AND HOLDING MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID RECESSES AND DISIGNED TO ENGAGE AND HOLD GLIDING MEANS THEREIN, AND GLIDING MEANS FOR SAID CONTAINER CARRYING TRIANGULARSHAPED SPRING ENGAGING AND HOLDING MEANS FITTING INTO SAID RECESSES AND COACTING WITH SAID CORRESPONDING INDENTED MEANS IN SAID RECESSES. 